Reviews

Les Miserables (School Edition) Curtain Up Theatre School Roper Theatre, West Wing Hayesfield Girls School It is hard to imagine that this production of Les Miserables is the result of a two week intensive summer school run by Curtain Up Theatre School. The large cast attack the show with

North by Northwest Screenwriter Ernest Lehman, Playwright Carolyn Burns Theatre Royal Bath The Theatre Royal is home to this hi tech innovative stage production of the classic film prior to it taking flight to Toronto. Using a combination of cinematic green-screen techniques, video projection, scale models and good old-fashioned theatrical

Wink – Mission Theatre, Bath 26.07.2017 When TopButton Theatre Company asked the audience of their debut production Wink to describe the performance in three words I wrote down smooth, gripping and energy. Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s modern drama examines the lives of two young men in search of an identity. Struggling to

EDGES RONDO THEATRE Do you want to see an off-Broadway musical? No need to go to New York; you need go no further than the Rondo. It may be a long way off Broadway, but this latest production from local company Exit Stage Left sounds and feels authentically American. It’s

Zenith Theatre presents Summer Holiday (Kingswood Theatre, Wednesday July 12th) Beautiful staging, energised performances and a large dose of fun result in a rendition of this pop-fuelled Sixties cheese-fest that even a grouch like me can enjoy. I could feel a touch of apprehension clinging to me as

DUTCH COMEDY NIGHT – COMEDYTRAIN ON TOUR WIDCOMBE SOCIAL CLUB This gig is part of Alkmaar week, commemorating 70 years of Bath’s twinning relationship with that Dutch town (It’s a very moving story: look it up.), and there are actually a few people from Alkmaar in the audience. But there,

This Kingswood production is an innovative piece of children’s theatre exploring notions of how children should behave. Through a series of workshops students, under the inspiring direction of Kate Nash, were able to imaginatively link dramatised poetry by Heinrich Hoffmann and Hilaire Belloc. The structure provided an energetic showcase

Ministry of Burlesque’s Twisted Cabaret promises ‘Camp Comedy, risqué song and frisky burlesque’ and it does not disappoint! We were greeted by our host for the evening Ria Lina. Dressed in a gorgeous sparkly feathered dressed, she got the audience going with her hilarious comedy and perfect use of

FRED MACAULAY WIDCOMBE SOCIAL CLUB The prophet of Perthshire takes to the stage at the packed Social Club with his usual casual-seeming style. He says the theme of the evening is the imparting of information, and whether people should and could believe anything just because someone told them so. And

Racing Demon – David Hare Theatre Royal Bath Jonathan Church hot foot from the triumphs of Chichester launches his directing debut of the Theatre Royal Summer Season with Racing Demon and if this production of David Hare’s stunning examination of an institution in crisis is anything to go by, Bath

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks adapted by Rachel Wagstaff Next Stage The Mission Theatre Birdsong is a popular and successful novel. A love story mingled with the brutality and reality of the trenches and the Battle of the Somme. The play focuses the action in the British trenches and behind the

The Addams Family Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lipa The Addams Family has had many incarnations from cartoons, TV series and highly successful film representations of this crazy kooky family. Here we have the UK premiere of a sassy and witty new

The Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Tobacco Tea Theatre Burdall’s Yard June 10, 2017 In a world obsessed with all things Sherlock Holmes, the Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes managed to stand out from the crowd, creating it’s own unique and clever piece of Sherlock entertainment. This

Just in Case Bert & Lou Theatre 2 Comfortable Place 10th June, 2017 For Just In Case, audiences are invited into the home of the obsessively hoarding Wilson sisters. I say audience, but really I mean clean-up crew, as each participant is given a high visibility jacket and

Ovid’s Heroines by James Darnton Thereby Hangs A Tale Theatre Company St Michael’s Church 10th June, 2017 Ovid’s Heroines, as the title suggests, resurrects the stories of Ovid’s most interesting female characters in three monologues. These stories speak to the most complex human emotions, and are laden with ever-relevant

ELLIPSISM BURDALL’S YARD 3 JUNE 2017 This beautifully eccentric retelling of the last days of Napoleon’s life is a sure fire hit. With a captivating performance from Sacha Sananes as the crazed neurotic “Emperor” this new play by Ryan Mellish and Sacha Sananes has it all – intrigue, murder, adultery

THE PUB TOUR THE STREETS OF BATH Kilter Theatre This latest addition to Bath’s repertoire of walking tours comes from Kilter Theatre. Not exactly a theatre piece in the conventional sense, this is nonetheless an interesting experience. Led by Olly Langdon, one of Kilter’s directors, this is a sort of

TARTUFFE MISSION THEATRE This production by Bath University Student Theatre of Roger McGough’s adaptation of Moliere’s 1664 play is a pleasing thing. There’s no pretence here of naturalistic acting; the costumes and makeup are over-the-top cartoonish, and McGough’s script is in verse – not your Shakespearean blank iambic kind,

Other Places by Harold Pinter Bath University Student Theatre Museum of Bath at Work 9th June, 2017 Harold Pinter’s theatre is not something to be adapted lightly, so it’s an impressive feat that Bath University’s Student Theatre puts on three of his one act plays with maturity

New Writing, Stand-Up, And Spoken Word – Tinned Pizza Theatre Company – The Bell: Love Lounge June 9, 2017 In the back room of an unassuming pub in Walcot Street a night of creativity and laughter was occurring. New Writing, Stand-Up and Spoken Word was exactly what it